For some with local ties, there were tears Friday when President Obama spoke about those who are Americans in their hearts but not on paper.

Sergio Salazar, a California Lutheran University graduate, said the speech made him cry a bit.

"I never thought I would see the day when a president would publicly make a statement and recognize us for who we are," said Salazar, whose mother brought him to the United States from Mexico illegally when he was one-and-a-half.

Salazar, who grew up in Oxnard and Los Angeles, graduated from the Thousand Oaks university in 2010 with a double major in political science and international studies.

But he hasn't been able to use his degree. Instead, Salazar does yard work, as he has since middle school and did to pay for college.

"The frustration I had after graduation led me to come out of the shadows," said Salazar, who now advocates for reform.

Others see federal immigration policy changes announced Friday, which would stop deportations of many young illegal immigrants, as a threat to job-seeking citizens.

Rep. Elton Gallegly, the Simi Valley Republican who has long been a proponent of tougher enforcement of existing immigration laws, called the president's action "a direct slap at the American worker" that robbed citizens of their livelihoods.

"By giving 800,000 illegal immigrants work permits with no time limit or expiration date, he is telling American workers — millions of whom are unemployed through no fault of their own — that he does not care about their plight," Gallegly said in a statement. "Under the Constitution it is Congress' job to create immigration policy and it is the president's job to enforce it."

The plan would make illegal immigrants younger than 30 immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16, have no criminal history, have been here at least five years and earned a high school diploma or served in the military, according to The Associated Press.

The changes partially achieve goals of the so-called DREAM Act, a long-sought but never enacted effort to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the country illegally but have attended college or served in the military, according to the AP.Vanessa Frank Garcia, a Ventura-based attorney who focuses on immigration, said the change will benefit Ventura County.

"We are the true winners because we have all these kids who are ready (to work)," said Frank Garcia.

But the new rules will require people who qualify to come out of the shadows as undocumented, she added, which is a risk they'll have to take to participate.

William Perez, a professor of education at Claremont Graduate University who specializes in immigration and education, said the policy could lead to significant economic impacts from increased productivity as individuals are able to get jobs they're qualified for.

But there is concern about whether the new rules will actually be implemented, he said. Previous changes to deportation policy announced about a year ago haven't necessarily been carried out on the ground.

"Until we seem some results from this policy change" — meaning young adults getting work permits and not being deported — "it's just a statement on paper," Perez said.

Juana Tapias came to Ventura from Mexico with her parents when she was 4 and has since graduated from CLU. But she faced obstacles under existing policy: She had to change majors after learning that without legal residency she would not be allowed to become a teacher.

"It was devastating and it completely broke my heart," said Tapias, now 26, and living in Santa Paula.

Tapias, who could benefit from the policy change, wonders about her parents and the families of other so-called DREAMers.

"Even if we had not come as younger immigrants into this country, we still would have very likely made this decision as adults to come undocumented as well," Tapias said, "because of the need we have economically and the need we have to protect and provide for our families."

Anahi Quiroz, 26, graduated from CSU Channel Islands last year, a sociology degree in hand. She still works at a restaurant, as she has since high school and did throughout college since her illegal status makes her ineligible for federal student loans.

Her job makes her happy.

"But I'm so overqualified," Quiroz said. "There's so much more I can give to Ventura County."

The Thousand Oaks resident thinks the new policy could help her achieve her dream of becoming an attorney. In the fall, she'll start her master's degree at CLU in public policy and administration.

Said Quiroz: "This is a Band-aid to a problem that needs surgery, major surgery."

George Miller, cofounder of the Ventura County Tea Party, acknowledged the complexities of the immigration issue.

"It wasn't the minors' decision to come here and break the law," he said. "They do get penalized a lot."

On the other hand, he said, their parents knew what the law was.

Miller, an Oxnard resident, said he's heard plenty of horror stories about the difficulties of those trying to comply with existing immigration law and has compassion for those who want to come to America for a better life. He knows many Oxnard residents who came here legally and now contribute to the community.

"I'm proud of them," he said.

While there is room for changes to immigration law, he said, he doesn't advocate wholesale amnesty.